Herb crusted stuffed courgettes

I found this recipe in my monthly supermarket magazine as a way to get toddlers to eat courgettes (zuchinni) which have a very high vitamin C content.  I like my courgettes - but am forever trying to figure out what I can do with them that's different.  So here's my take on the magazine recipe.  You have to forgive the addition of turmeric and chilli - I'm Indian - I have this innate inclination to 'Indianise' any food!!!

Ingredients

Courgettes     3 nos. 

Carrot           1 large, grated
Onion            1 medium, chopped
Garlic            1 -2 cloves, chopped

Basil              1 tablespoon, shredded

Thyme           1 tablespoon ( I used dried - you can use fresh if its available )

Breadcrumbs  50 g

Cheese           50 g grated ( I used cheddar coz its what I had in the fridge )

Egg                1 nos.

Turmeric        A pinch

Chilli pdr        A pinch (Omit this if you don't like the heat)

Salt               To taste

Method

1.  Boil the courgettes in water for 6-8 minutes.  Leave aside to cool. Then drain and cut lengthwise. Cut further in half.

2. Scoop out the flesh of the courgettes and chop roughly.  In a bowl, add the chopped courgettes, carrot, basil, thyme, breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Mix it all together.

3.  Spoon the filling into the courgette halves.  I sprinkled some extra breadcrumbs on top for a more crusty topping.  You could also add extra cheese to the top and it will brown nicely, but you might want to do this just towards the end so that the cheese doesn't burn.

4.  Bake at 170 degrees celsius for about 30 minutes.  

Since the oven was on anyway, I popped in some potatoes with a light coat of olive oil, salt and pepper and few sprigs of my favourite herb, rosemary. 

The courgettes turned out beautiful.

 

Dished up with the potatoes, it made a very nice meal - even Mr. J loved it - and he's not a big courgette fan!